Advanced environmental monitoring at Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Year
2019
Location
HEATHROW - LONDON - UNITED KINGDOM
Sector(s)
Airports
Issues
Heathrow Airport (LHR) needed to evaluate the scope of its terminal expansion project and assess the environmental impact of its operations. A critical aspect of this process was identifying the sources of gas and noise emissions and distinguishing those originating from the airport from those related to surrounding road traffic. The primary challenge was the lack of comprehensive, real-time monitoring of air quality, noise, and odors, coupled with insufficient temporal and spatial data representation.
SOLUTION
To address these challenges, a network system of 40 WT1 Pro sensors was deployed across the airside and landside zones of Heathrow Airport. This system, which includes electrochemical, NDIR (Non-Dispersive Infrared), PID (Photoionization Detector), and optical sensors, allowed for:
- Real-time data transfer via GPRS
- Monitoring pollutants such as NO, NO₂, CO, SO₂, O₃, CO₂, VOCs, particles (PM), odors, and noise
- Utilizing calibration software to ensure the accuracy of the sensor network
- Recording and managing over 9 billion data points
KEY RESULTS
Thanks to this deployment, several benefits were observed:
- During the closure of Heathrow, a significant improvement in air quality was noted, demonstrating the effectiveness of the monitoring system.
- Real-time monitoring enabled precise identification of emission sources, facilitating the distinction between the environmental impacts of the airport and those of road traffic.
- The temporal and spatial representation of air quality, noise, and odor levels was enhanced, providing a comprehensive and detailed view of the environmental conditions around the airport.
This project has allowed Heathrow Airport to better understand and manage its environmental footprint, effectively meet regulatory requirements, and improve the quality of life for surrounding communities.
